The cause of the fatal plane crash at the Kinston Drag Strip on June 17 remains unknown.
A preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board released Thursday indicates the pilot at least experienced some engine problems.
The report gives further details on the sequence of events. At 8:22 p.m., an Air Tractor AT-402B airplane was destroyed when it impacted the ground in Kinston. The commercial pilot, William James Brinkley, 52, died.
The pilot took off from Mount Olive and flew for several minutes and was heading home to Dover. Brinkley was on the phone with an unidentified friend using a Bluetooth headset.
Keith Byers
The Free Press
The investigation into why a crop duster crashed at the Kinston Drag Strip in the early stages according to the National Transportation Safety Board and the preliminary report is expected to be released in the next 24 hours.
The crash occurred on June 17 off of Highway 11 and killed pilot William James Brinkley, 52, of Dover. The aircraft an Air Tractor model AT402B went down around 8:30 p.m. while racing was still going on. He was described as an experienced pilot who owned several aircraft.
Jennifer Gabris, of the NTSB media relations, described the sequence of events that NTSB investigators have been engaged in since the crash.